Horton Hears A Who

Movie and Interview

On March 14, 2008, Horton Hears a Who, the popular children's book by Dr. Seuss, will premiere in theaters nationwide.

Dr. Seuss was born Theodore Seuss Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 2, 1904. He was known as a doodler and was often drawing whimsical creatures in his school notebooks. Dr. Seuss attended both Dartmouth College and the University of Oxford. After he graduated from Oxford, his first job was as a cartoonist. He later went on to write books and create animation.

When Dr. Seuss wrote the book Horton Hears a Who in 1954, he had already written some other children's favorites like The Cat in the Hat. Horton Hears a Who is a story about an elephant named Horton who hears a yell coming from a speck of dust. It turns out that the speck of dust is actually a planet with microscopic people called Whos living on it, in a city called Who-ville. The Whos become Horton's friends, and he tries to keep them from harm. People tease Horton because he is the only one who can hear the Whos. But Horton knows that they exist. That is how he comes up with his phrase that is heard all through the book—"A person's a person, no matter how small."

The feature-length animated movie based on the book stars Jim Carrey as the voice of Horton and Steve Carell as the voice of the Mayor of Who-ville. Recently, I got the chance to interview "Horton" about his upcoming movie. When I asked him what he means when he says, "A person's a person, no matter how small," he said, "Everyone matters, and every voice deserves to be heard. Whether you are 8 or 88, blue or orange, an elephant or a Who, we can all learn something from each other. Everyone deserves the right to be heard."

When I asked Horton what he thought about his book being made into a movie, he answered, "It's the coolest thing I can imagine—other than saving the Whos, of course!" While the movie is sure to be fun, Horton has a message for everyone. He hopes that people who see the movie will "learn that when you believe in something, that belief is worth holding on to, even if people think you are silly or wrong." And, of course, we should all always remember that "A person's a person, no matter how small!"